DISASTER IN NEW YORK HARBOR.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 3 August 1901, Page 4

DISASTER IN NEW YORK HARBOR.

A Crowded Ferry Boat Sunk. Men Fight b,ack Women. Within ton minutes of the time Staten Island ferry boat Northliold left her "Whitehall street slip on June 14th, says the New York Journal, she was lying a battered, hopeless wreck at the bottom of tho East River. During the ten minutes 800 men, women and children on her decks engaged in a battle for life that was viewed with horror by tho spectators that lined the shore as the sinking craft slowly drifted up the river with the tide.

The cause of tho sink’ng was a collision with the Central Railroad ferrybort Mauch Chunk, The latter rammed the Northfield just off the Whitehall street slips. The passengers on the deck of the North* field were cheering one minute and fighting for life preservers and trampling over one another the next.

How many lives were stamped out in ♦he struggle of how many were drowned by the sinking boat may never be accurately known. The police and the crew of the Nor hfield are firm in the conviction that none was lost. Eye witnessed, on the other hand, tell of men and women sinking almost within reach of the piers. One man sank, according io a witness, clinging to one of the stanchions of the Northfield. Men acted as craven cowards in that struggle on the decks of the sinking boat. They crowded and pushed their way regardless of the women. This was so especially on the lower or main deck of the boat. But there was some stout hearts among the men on the upper deck, and they supplemented the elforts of the crew who stuck to their posto like men and did all in their power for the panicstricken passengeis. No Attempt at Rescue.

Not a single effort was made by the Maunch Chunk’s captain to follow the boat he had wrecked and save her passengers.

The Northfield had barely emerged from her slip when the crash came. Boih her decks were filled with voyagers. Bho was said to have anywhere from 700 to 800 on board, and fully one-half of them were women.

The hood of the cabin on the Staten Island boat was crushed in like so much paper, and the cabin walls sent inboard The Maunch Chunk’s rails on both sides were smashed ani her main deck was peeled back'for ten feet. Her rudder forward was smashed. That was the extent of her damage. She reeled from the blow and then backed out of the rent she had made in the Morthfield. The latter boat, still under steam, but with water pouring below in a volume, staggered out into the stream, while from all parts of the boat arose wild cries for help. Eight near the point of collision in the forward cabin, below, sat Miss Lizzie Ivors, a girl of nineteen. Sire was pinned between two huge splinters and held there for a time. Her right eye had been nearly torn from her head. She retained consciousness and managed to wrench herself free. No one else paid the slightest attention to her. Men lost their Heads.

Those nearest the smashed outer doors wore trying to get on to the forward deck, and those nearest the companion ways leading to the upper deck were making efforts to get above.

In all the other cabins there wore the same scenes. Men rushed for the life preservers in all the lower cabins and paid little attention to the women. Others struggled and pushed and clamoured to get out of the cabins—out on dock, so that they could leap overboard if need be. So the struggle went on, while the Northfiold slowly drifted with the tide up the East River, her whistle giving shrieks of distress.

The ferryboats distress whistles were responded to by more than a dozen East River tuzs. They clustered along her sides, and the passengers dropped off on the decks of the tugs. Pushed the Women Back.

The tugboat Unity ranged alongside the Northfield forward, and called to the women in that part of the vessel to come on. But the men would not let them. They rushed for the rail of the sinking ferryboat and threw themselves ovor on the tug’s deck. Women who tried to follow weropushed back. Men also fought to get on the other tugs. Captain Slater, of the Unity, declared afterwards that fully 100 men had clambered on his tug before there was a chance to get off a single woman. The woman had no chance.

From the cabins there was pushing and crowding a confused mass of humanity. Shrieks, yells,«and curses filled the air. The passengers fought as if they realised tl eir chances were numbered by minutes, perhaps seconds. v&The Unity’s Captain yelled to the m»n to give the women a chance, and called out: “ Shame, you scoundrels! Let the women come first!” It made no difference. The men fairly shrieked in their terror, and many of them threw themselves flat on the deck of the tug so weak with fright that 'they could not stand. They robed and grovelled on the Unity’s deck.

Chief Engineer Michael Boyle stayed in the engine-room until the water reached his middle. Then lie rushed above, and united his efforts to those of the four deck hands and the two firemen to give the women life-preservers. But the time was too short and the passengers too frightened to pay much attention to the life belts. Some that were pulled out were left on the deck by the crazed people, who would not stop to don them. The Horthfield Sinks. Pilot Johnston had turned the Northfield towards tae shore, and she was heading into the ship between piers 9 and 10 when she trembled from stem to stern. The tugs had to give way to prevent being squeezed between the boat and tire pier. It was the support of the tugs that had kept (lie ferry boat afloat. Tbe moment this support was removed the North field sank rapidly. Most of those on the lower decks, at least those who had not been trampled on or otherwise hurt, had tumbled or been dragged off on the tugs. The decks of the little craft were crowded with frightened passengers. Those on the upper deck now began a wild scramble to get off tlic boat. Some of them rushed to the hurricane deck. Others clambered on the lighter Louise, lying at the outer end of Pier 9. Others jumped overboard and were saved by the heroic work of the tug-boat men and the crews of near by lighters,

The collision and the sinking had not taken more than ton minutes. Cowards fought Women. A few of the statements made hy witnesses of the disaster show how some of the cowards on board behaved. “I have seen much cowardice in my day, but never to such an extent as I witnessed when my lug reached the scene. I saw great big and strong men push women and children aside and leap over the railing on passing craft.” —Captain Frank Moriety, of tugboat General Newton.

“ I saw men brush aside women and children and swear at them when they cried to bo saved, so that 1 decided j to take my chances on the lower deck with Ihc water rising around me.” —Tiilic .Schwarts, of St. George, S.I. “It made my blood boil to sec strong men trample down women and children who prayed for help and desperately seek to save their miserable selves. I fought them back all I couhl but was overpowered.''—William Decker, oi: Tower, Hill. S.I.

“ While the sinking vessel was drifting up the river I fought for ten minutes, until overcome by a crowd _cf heartless, cowardly fellows, who tore life-preservers from hysterical women.” —Williamson, deck hand on the Northfield.

But there were some stirring scenes of bravery on the part of the rescuers, constables and deckhands plunging into the water again and again. Each captain blamed the other for the accident. Captain Johnston was arrested for criminal negligence and and Captain Griffin was kept under surveillance.